| Elena R |  |
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|
Depth: |
27m | Sunk: | November 1939 | |
| Type: | Greek steamship | Reason: | Mined | |
| Tonnage: | 4500 tonnes | Position: | 50 30'N 02 20' W | |
| Size: | 12m x 16m | Condition: | Broken | |
| The Elena R was on her way to Antwerp when she was mined. Salvaged, she sits on a gravel seabed, | ||||
| standing some seven metres high in places and almost buried in others. There's a lot of life on the | ||||
| wreck. | ||||
  |
 |
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| Bennendijk | ||||
|
Depth: |
27m |
Sunk: | October 1939 | |
| Type: | Dutch steamship | Reason: | Mined | |
| Tonnage: | 6,873 tonnes | Position: | 50 32'N 02 20'W | |
| Size: | 121m x 16m | Condition: | Broken | |
| Known as the "Benny", the Bennendijk was mined while in the main | ||||
| shipping channel. Despite being very broken due to heavy clearance | ||||
| and salvage, she stands several metres in places. The seabed is | ||||
| coarse, however, the visibility is often low due to the wreck being near | ||||
| the Adamant Shoal and the Shambles bank. The upside to the | ||||
| Benny''s location is that she's often sheltered when every others, apart | ||||
| from those in the harbour, are blown out. | ||||
| British Inventor (bow section) |  |
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|
Depth: |
20m |
Sunk: | 13th June 1940 | |
| Type: | British oil tanker | Reason: | Mined | |
| Tonnage: | 7101 tonnes | Position: | 50 35' 52''N 02 18' 48''W | |
| Size: | 130m | Condition: | Broken | |
|
The steam powered British Inventor was carrying 10,568 tons of fuel |
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|
and diesel oil when she struck a mine. Originally sailing from Gibraltar |
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|
to Lands End, her destination was changed to Southampton, via |
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|
Portland. On the morning of the incident, the British Inventor was |
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|
approaching Portland when a patrol vessel told her to enter with the |
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|
mine sweepers. The tanker was told to wait at a position near Chiswick point but couldn't locate it on |
||||
| the chart. Shortly after, the Inventor was struck in number 3 or 4 tank on the port side near the bow. | ||||
|
An attempt to beach the ship was started but, on realizing she had broken her back, it was aborted. |
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|
The crew left the ship and boarded the patrol vessel. Two tugs came out to tow the ship to port. After |
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|
two hours of this the British Inventor suddenly the bows sunk leaving the stern on the surface and the |
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|
prop out of the water. |
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|
|
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|
During the the next few weeks the stern section of the ship was |
||||
| salvaged and sold as scrap. One of the bow sections now lies on the | ||||
| Lulworth banks, well broken and scattered, only ribs and plates are left. | ||||
| Its highest point is only a couple of metres off the rocky seabed. | ||||
| There's a lot of marine life here. | ||||
| Blackwood (possibly) | ||||
|
Depth: |
53m - 70m |
Sunk: | June 1944 | |
| Type: | Frigate | Reason: | Torpedoed | |
| Tonnage: | 1,150 tonnes | Position: | ||
| Size: | Condition: | |||
| This wreck is possibly that of the Blackwood. She is lying in one of the | ||||
| deep holes where the seabed is around seventy metres. The top of the | ||||
| wreck is at fifty three metres. | ||||
| P555 | ||||
|
Depth: |
40m |
Sunk: | August 1947 | |
| Type: | Ex American sub | Reason: | sonar target | |
| Tonnage: | 1062 tonnes | Position: | 50 30'N 02 33'W | |
| Size: | 66m x 6m | Condition: | Intact - upright | |
| The P555 lies completely intact on a shingle and gravel seabed. Sitting | ||||
| upright, her wooden deck is at 33 metres. She lies along the tide, | ||||
| sitting East to West. | ||||
| Frognor | ||||
|
Depth: |
34m |
Sunk: | May 1918 | |
| Type: | Norwegian steam | Reason: | Torpedoed | |
| Tonnage: | 1,476 tonnes | Position: | 50 31'N 02 33'W | |
| Size: | 78m x 11m x 6m | Condition: | ||
| The Frognor has been salvaged and stands seven metres off the | ||||
| seabed. | ||||
| UB74 | ||||
|
Depth: |
34m | Sunk: | May 1918 | |
| Type: | German sub | Reason: | depth charges | |
| Tonnage: | 660 tonnes | Position: | 50 32'N 02 33' W | |
| Size: | 55m x 6m | Condition: | Broken | |
| The German U boat, UB74, was laid to rest by depth charges dropped | ||||
| from the Lorna, an armed yacht. She has been heavily salvaged. | ||||
| Lulworth Banks (drift dive) | ||||
| Lulworth Banks has an extremely varied seabed with depths from 12 to | ||||
| 25 metres Marine life is in abundance with lots of scallops on the | ||||
| sandy areas. The wreck of the British Inventor lies here. | ||||
| Alex Van Opstel | |
|||
|
Depth: |
30m |
Sunk: | September 1939 | |
| Type: | Belgian liner | Reason: | Mine | |
| Tonnage: | 5,965 tonnes | Position: | 50:09:21N 02:03:17 W | |
| Size: | 127m x 17m | Condition: | Very broken | |
| The Alex Van Opstel was en route from New York to Antwerp when | ||||
| she was hit by a mine. Her bow is still recognisable and stands 7 | ||||
| metres above the seabed. Salvage work has reduced the stern to a | ||||
| tangledweb of wreckage. She lies SW / NE on a seabed of sand and | ||||
| gravel. | ||||
| Ethel | ||||
|
Depth: |
38m |
Sunk: | ||
| Type: | steamship | Reason: | ||
| Tonnage: | 2,000 tonnes | Position: | 2 miles off shambles | |
| Size: | Condition: | Broken | ||
| The Ethel stands six 6 metres off the seabed. | ||||
| Black Hawk (stern section) | |
|||
|
Depth: |
36m - 48m |
Sunk: | 29th Dec 1944 | |
| Type: | Armed steam | Reason: | Torpedoed | |
| Tonnage: | Position: | 50 22'N 02 25'W | ||
| Size: | 134 x 17 x 10m | Condition: | ||
|
On the 28th December, 1944, the American Liberty Ship Black Hawk was sailing in convoy from |
||||
| Cherbourg, bound for Fowey in Cornwall. On the way, the convoy was to stop off at St. Helens Roads | ||||
| on the Isle of Wight, where the convoy would be joined by more vessels. | ||||
| The convoy was roughly four and a half miles South of Portland Bill when they were spotted by the | ||||
| German submarine, U772. The Black hawk was the second ship in the convoy to receive a torpedo hit. | ||||
| It struck the stern, breaking it right off. | ||||
|
It was decided that the Black Hawk was to be towed to Worbarrow bay to be beached. The wreck |
||||
|
remained here until after the war when the Royal Navy decided to blow her as she was a navigational |
||||
|
hazard. She was blown again in the 1960's to make way for a pipeline. |
||||
| Today, the stern section lies on her starboard side on a gravel, shingle and sand seabed, the prop | ||||
| missing. | ||||
|
|
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| Kingston Cairngorm | ||||
|
Depth: |
50m |
Sunk: | 18th October 1940 | |
| Type: | Naval steam trawler | Reason: | Mined | |
| Tonnage: | 448 tonnes | Position: | ||
| Size: | Condition: | Well blown | ||
| Although thought to be the Kingston Cairngorm, the wreck is much | ||||
| larger than a 450 ton steam trawler. The wreck is well blown amidships | ||||
| and the bows lie to the East. | ||||
| Amy | ||||
|
Depth: |
50m |
Sunk: | 1928 | |
| Type: | small sailing ship | Reason: | ||
| Tonnage: | Position: | |||
| Size: | Condition: | |||
| The Amy had no engine and sunk whilst making a film. | ||||
| UB62 | ||||
|
Depth: |
50+m |
Sunk: | October 1917 | |
| Type: | German Sub | Reason: | M | |
| Tonnage: | tonnes | Position: | ||
| Size: | m x m | Condition: | B | |
| This German submarine lies North to South, with a hole in port side | ||||
| and a list to starboard. | ||||
| Sidon | ||||
|
Depth: |
34m |
Sunk: | 1955 | |
| Type: | British S class sub | Reason: | ||
| Tonnage: | 900 tonnes | Position: | 50 32'N 02 42'W | |
| Size: | 66m x 7m x 4m | Condition: | Broken | |
|
The Sidon, an S Class submarine, suffered an unfortunate career |
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|
sinking twice. The first time was during 1955 when she sunk in |
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|
Portland harbour losing the lives of 13 men. Following this incident, she |
||||
| was raised and towed out to her present position and deliberately sunk | ||||
| as an ASDIC target. | ||||
|
The Sidon now lies NW / SE and although broken, is still recognisable |
||||
| as a submarine. | ||||
| HMS Bittern | ||||
|
Depth: |
33m |
Sunk: | 4th April 1918 | |
| Type: | Gun boat | Reason: | Collision | |
| Tonnage: | Position: | |||
| Size: | 60 x 7m | Condition: | Broken | |
| The Bittern was believed to be a C Class torpedo gun boat. She was | ||||
| lost in 1918 after a collision with the SS Kenilworth. She was capable | ||||
| of 30 knots, was coal fired and had two torpedo tubes on deck. HMS | ||||
| Bittern is sometimes mistaken for the submarine tender Hazard, which | ||||
| sunk off Portsmouth in the same year. | ||||
| The Bittern now lies broken with her bows listing starboard and her | ||||
| stern upright. She lies NW / SE and stands 6 metres from the seabed. | ||||
| Scaldis | ||||
|
Depth: |
33m |
Sunk: | January 1974 | |
| Type: | Trawler | Reason: | ||
| Tonnage: | Position: | 50 34'N 02 38'W | ||
| Size: | 24m | Condition: | Upright | |
| The Scaldis was last heard of in 1974. She lost all her crew. In 1975 | ||||
| she was located in her present position. She sits upright on the | ||||
| seabed with her fishing gear out. | ||||
| Black Hawk (bow section) | |
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|
Depth: |
18m |
Sunk: | 29th DEC 1944 | |
| Type: | Armed USA steam | Reason: | Torpedoed | |
| Tonnage: | Position: | 50 36N 02 12W | ||
| Size: | 134m x 17m x 10m | Condition: | Broken | |
|
The Black Hawk was torpedoed by a German U boat. The stern was blown away in the attack and the |
||||
|
remains were towed into Worbarrow and beached. Large pieces of machinery are still present on the |
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|
wreck. From the main wreckage, there are some big chains leading East North East for 200 metres to |
||||
|
a second part of the wreck. In 1969, the wreck was blown with explosives to make way for the Winfrith |
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|
pipeline. |
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| Now lying in about 18 metres, she stands 3 metres from a seabed of rock and shingle. The area is tidal | ||||
| see tide page to determine when you want to dive. | ||||
| Aeolian Sky | |
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|
Depth: |
21m - 30m | Sunk: | 4th Nov 1979 | |
| Type: | Greek freighter | Reason: | Collision | |
| Tonnage: | 14,385 tonnes | Position: | 50 30 '86''N 02 08' 36''W | |
| Size: | 138m | Condition: | Good - intact | |
| On her way from Hull and Rotterdam, |  |
 |
||
| the Aeolian Sky was twenty miles | ||||
| north of Guernsey and in a south | ||||
| westerly gale. At 4:30 am she | ||||
| collided with the 2,400 ton Anna | ||||
| Knuepell, a German coaster | ||||
| returning to her home port of |  |
|||
| Hamburg. The Aeolian Sky's hull was | ||||
| badly damaged resulting in number | ||||
| one hold taking on water. | ||||
| The Sky sent a distress signal which was picked up by the Abeille | ||||
|
Langudoc,
a French ocean going tug based in Cherbourg.
|
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| The tug managed to get a line to the sky and the Anna Knuepell, only |  |
|||
| slightly damaged in collision, stood by along with the Riverina, a bulk | ||||
| carrier, who had also answered the Sky's call. Fortunately, no one was | ||||
| hurt in the incident but by now the Sky's bows were sinking and the | ||||
| wind & tide pushing the vessel North East, towards mid channel, | ||||
|
||||
| At 9:30 am, a RN helicopter from Lee-on-Solent evacuated | ||||
| most of the crew but then had to return to base with engine | ||||
| trouble, leaving a handful of crew still on board the sinking | ||||
| vessel. By now her bows were just above sea level. She had | ||||
| drifted so far that the French tug had to abort the original plan | ||||
| to tow her to Cherbourg and head for the Solent instead. | ||||
 |
||||
| At 3:15 pm, the Port Authorities of Southampton and Portsmouth | ||||
| declined the Aeolian Sky permission to enter. They feared the | ||||
| possibility of the stricken vessel sinking in the shipping lanes and | ||||
| bringing the ports to a standstill. | ||||
 |
||||
| The tug now turned into the wind and set course for Portland Harbour. | ||||
| On November 4th, however at 3:45 in the morning her holds finally took | ||||
| on too much water and the Aeolian Sky sank. | ||||
| She was carrying an assorted cargo including two diesel electric locomotives and thousands of jars of | ||||
| Marmite. Several days later it became apparent that the ship also had four million pounds worth of new | ||||
| bank notes onboard, destined for the Seychelles government. The first accounted divers on the wreck | ||||
| came up empty handed fuelling stories of outlaw divers getting there first. The notes were cancelled | ||||
| rendering them worthless. | ||||
|
A very popular wreck during the summer season, the Aeolian Sky lies |
 |
|||
| on her port side on a limestone seabed. She stands 12 metres high | ||||
| with her bow South and her stern North. On a flat calm day it's | ||||
| possible to see where the she is by the effect the tide has on the | ||||
| surface as it moves over the wreck. Slack water in this area is often | ||||
| not at the predicted time so it's worth arriving early. | ||||
| A3 | |
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|
Depth: |
38m |
Sunk: | 2nd Feb 1912 | |
| Type: | British submarine | Reason: | Collision | |
| Tonnage: | 190 tonnes | Position: | 50 31'41''N 02 11'25''W | |
| Size: | 32m x 4m x 3m | Condition: | Upright, complete | |
|
Almost nine years after her launch, the A3 was one of several A & C |
||||
|
Class submarines that left Portsmouth harbour HMS Hazard. They |
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|
were heading for the Isle of Wight on exercises. At the time, the A3 |
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|
was in command of Lieutenant Ormand, normally the A4's Commander. |
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| At the start of the exercise, the A3 was on HMS Hazards starboard bow and dived in the usual way. | ||||
|
Ten minutes later the Hazard was struck at the stern. Within a minute a mass of air bubbles surfaced, |
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|
identifying the A3's position. The position was marked and a salvaged vessel requested. |
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| By the time the salvage divers arrived, the wind had picked up to a point preventing any salvage taking | ||||
| place. On 8th March, five weeks later when conditions allowed the A3 to be raised a few metres off the | ||||
| seabed. She was then towed to Portsmouth,via St Helens Roads near Ryde, where divers made the | ||||
| fixings more permanent. | ||||
| Once in Portsmouth, the A3 was pumped out and the bodies of the fourteen crew taken to Hasler | ||||
| Hospital. The A3 had a two metre split in her hull. The crew would have drowned immediately. On the | ||||
| 17th May, 1912, the A3 was towed for some experiments and then sunk by the guns of the | ||||
| dreadnought St. Vincent. | ||||
|
|
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|
|
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| Start | |
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|
Depth: |
36m - 40m |
Sunk: | 22nd DEC 1917 | |
| Type: | Norwegian steamer | Reason: | Torpedoed | |
| Tonnage: | 728 tonnes | Position: | 50 28' 26''N 01 49' 59''W | |
| Size: | 62m x 9m x 3.5m | Condition: | Broken | |
|
The Start was taking a cargo of coal from Swansea, South Wales, to |
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| Rouen in France when she was attacked by the German submarine | ||||
| UB57. From a crew of fourteen there were only two survivors. | ||||
| Today, the Start rests on a shingle seabed standing four metres. Well | ||||
| broken and salvaged, her stern lies on its port side, the prop & rudder | ||||
| clearly visible. The bow is upright but the plates have rusted away | ||||
| leaving only the stern post. Visibility is often good, particularly HW on a | ||||
| neap tide. | ||||
| Warrior (II) | |
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|
Depth: |
54m |
Sunk: | January or 11th July 1940 | |
| Type: | Requisitioned yacht | Reason: | German aircraft | |
| Tonnage: | 1,124 tonnes | Position: | 50:21:56N 02:12:23W | |
| Size: | 86m x 10m x | Condition: | Broken | |
 |
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|
The Warrior was first launched in 1904 and an extremely luxurious |
||||
| yacht. She went through several different names as she changed | ||||
| owners Her last owners renamed her Warrior. At the out break of the | ||||
| Second World War the Royal Navy requisitioned the yacht and named | ||||
| her Warrior II, as they already had a ship called Warrior. | ||||
| Fitted with just a single gun, the Warrior II was attacked by over fifty |  |
|||
| German aircraft. She received a bomb to her decks, smashing through | ||||
| the ship and blowing a hole through her side. She sits up to five metres | ||||
| in places. The swimming pool is recognisable. | ||||
  |
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| Valdes | ||||
|
Depth: |
49m |
Sunk: | February 1917 | |
| Type: | British merchant | Reason: | Torpedoed | |
| Tonnage: | 2,233 tonnes | Position: | 50 23'N 02 24 'W | |
| Size: | 80m x 12m x 5m | Condition: | ||
| The Valdes went down, taking eleven lives with her. She now lies on | ||||
| her port side standing 5 to 6 metres in places. | ||||
| Merchant Royal | ||||
|
Depth: |
57m |
Sunk: | 1946 | |
| Type: | British cargo steam | Reason: | Collision | |
| Tonnage: | 5,008 tonnes | Position: | 50 20'N 02 29'W | |
| Size: | 126m x 16m | Condition: | Broken | |
| Unsuccessful attempts to rescue the Merchant Royal were made by | ||||
| tugs from Portland, including the Buccaneer, which sunk later that | ||||
| year. Although salvaged, she stands fifteen metres off the seabed. Her | ||||
| bows are broken off and her midships and stern list slightly starboard. | ||||
| L24 | |
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|
Depth: |
54m |
Sunk: | 1924 | |
| Type: | British submarine | Reason: | Collision | |
| Tonnage: | 1,080 tonnes | Position: | 50 22'N 02 37'W | |
| Size: | 72m x 7m x 4m | Condition: | ||
| HMS L24 sunk after a collision with HMS Resolution. She lies North to | ||||
| South, is upright and stands eight metres. | ||||
| Grane | ||||
|
Depth: |
45m |
Sunk: | March 1919 | |
| Type: | Norwegian cargo | Reason: | Torpedoed | |
| Tonnage: | 1,180 tonnes | Position: | ||
| Size: | 70m x 9m | Condition: | Broken | |
| This wreck lies North to South and Stands seven metres off the | ||||
| seabed. | ||||
| Algarve | ||||
|
Depth: |
54m |
Sunk: | October 1917 | |
| Type: | British armed steam | Reason: | Torpedoed | |
| Tonnage: | 1,274 tonnes | Position: | 50 22'N 02 48'W | |
| Size: | 69m x 10m x 4.5m | Condition: | ||
| Torpedoed by a German submarine, the Algarve sunk with a loss of 21 | ||||
| lives. The identity of the wreck isn't certain as there are reports of | ||||
| another wreck nearby. This wreck lies East to West, and stands | ||||
| upright nine metres from the seabed. | ||||
| Elmcrest | ||||
|
Depth: |
60m |
Sunk: | July 1940 | |
| Type: | Steamer | Reason: | German E-boat | |
| Tonnage: | Position: | |||
| Size: | Condition: | |||
| The Elmcrest was sunk by a E boat some thirteen miles off Portland | ||||
| Bill. | ||||
| Lordstamp | ||||
|
Depth: |
60m |
Sunk: | 14th October 1940 | |
| Type: | Naval trawler | Reason: | Mined | |
| Tonnage: | 448 tonnes | Position: | ||
| Size: | Condition: | |||
| The Lordstamp lies SE / NW. | ||||
| Trito | ||||
|
Depth: |
60m |
Sunk: | September 1940 | |
| Type: | Coastal steamer | Reason: | Bombed | |
| Tonnage: | Position: | |||
| Size: | Condition: | |||
| The Trito stands nearly eleven metres from the seabed. | ||||
| HMS Boadicea | |
|||
|
Depth: |
52m |
Sunk: | June 1944 | |
| Type: | W.W.II destroyer | Reason: | Aerial torpedo | |
| Tonnage: | Position: | |||
| Size: | Condition: | |||
| HMS Boadicea went down, taking 150 lives with her and is now a war | ||||
| grave. The forward magazine was hit, leaving the bow section now | ||||
| dispersed over the seabed. The rest of the wreck stands upright and | ||||
| about six metres off the seabed. Apparently, there are unexploded | ||||
| ammunition and depth charges in the wreckage. | ||||
| Avalanche |  |
|||
|
Depth: |
46m |
Sunk: | ||
| Type: | Iron sailing ship | Reason: | Collision | |
| Tonnage: | 1,154 tonnes | Position: | ||
| Size: | Condition: | |||
| Bound for New Zealand, the Avalanche collided with the wooden cargo | ||||
| ship "Forrest". | ||||
| L H Carl | ||||
|
Depth: |
54m |
Sunk: | July 1917 | |
| Type: | Steamer | Reason: | Torpedoed | |
| Tonnage: | 1916 tonnes | Position: | ||
| Size: | m x m | Condition: | B | |
| The L H Carl stands 5 metres in places and lies roughly North to South. | ||||
| Polkeris | ||||
|
Depth: |
44m |
Sunk: | 4th March 1918 | |
| Type: | French steamship | Reason: | Torpedoed | |
| Tonnage: | 943 tonnes | Position: | ||
| Size: | Condition: | |||
| Recoil | ||||
|
Depth: |
50+m |
Sunk: | August 1940 | |
| Type: | Ex German trawler | Reason: | Presumed mined | |
| Tonnage: | 350 tonnes | Position: | ||
| Size: | Condition: | |||
| the Recoil was requisitioned by Royal Navy. In 1940 she failed to return | ||||
| from anti-submarine patrol, presumed to have been mined. | ||||
| St. Dunstan | ||||
|
Depth: |
27m |
Sunk: | 1917 | |
| Type: | Bucket dredger | Reason: | Mined | |
| Tonnage: | Position: | 50 38'N 02 41'W | ||
| Size: | 57m x 11m x 4.5m | Condition: | B | |
| The St. Dunstan was used as a mine sweeper during the war and was | ||||
| sunk by a mine in 1917. The wreck now lies upside down and twisted, | ||||
| with her highest point being 7 metres off the sea bed. | ||||
| Moidart | ||||
|
Depth: |
33m - 36m |
Sunk: | 1918 | |
| Type: | Armed steamship | Reason: | Torpedoed | |
| Tonnage: | 1,878 tonnes | Position: | 50 34'N 02 47'W | |
| Size: | 73m x10 m | Condition: | ||
| The Moidart, a merchant steamship,was carrying a cargo of railway | ||||
| lines when she was hit by a German U boat en route from Le Harve. | ||||
| She was hit amidships and now lies in two pieces on the seabed, | ||||
| her bow section upright and her stern lying separate on its starboard | ||||
| side. In places she stands 8m off the seabed and lies NW / SE. | ||||
| Ailsa Craig | ||||
|
Depth: |
33m - 36m |
Sunk: | 1918 | |
| Type: | British steamship | Reason: | Torpedoed | |
| Tonnage: | 601 tonnes | Position: | 50 33'N 02 47'W | |
| Size: | 56m x 8.5m x 3.5m | Condition: | ||
| the Ailsa Craig Was on her way to Weymouth with a cargo of coal | ||||
| when she was torpedoed. The wreck has been partly salvaged and the | ||||
| bow stands upright, 8 metres off the seabed. The stern section is badly | ||||
| damaged and lying on its starboard side. She lies NE / SW. | ||||
| Buccaneer | |
|||
|
Depth: |
44m - 47m |
Sunk: | August 1946 | |
| Type: | British armed tug | Reason: | Accident - towing | |
| Tonnage: | 840 tonnes | Position: | 50 29'N 02 41'W | |
| Size: | 50m x 10m | Condition: | Intact & upright | |
| The Buccaneer was sunk by accident while towing a target. It's | ||||
| possible to swim all the way round her in one dive. She lies East to | ||||
| West and stands eight metres from the shingle seabed, upright and | ||||
| intact. | ||||
| Pomeranian | ||||
|
Depth: |
34m |
Sunk: | 15th April 1918 | |
| Type: | British steam liner | Reason: | Torpedoed | |
| Tonnage: | 4,241 tonnes | Position: | 50 33'N 02 41'W | |
| Size: | 115m x 13m | Condition: | Upright | |
|
The Pomeranian was requisitioned by the government during the first |
||||
|
World war. She was en route from London to Newfoundland when she |
||||
|
was hit by a torpedo with a loss of fifty-five lives. She was carrying a |
||||
|
general government cargo, amongst which, were some smelting pots |
||||
|
with royal Doulton crest. There's rumoured to be some standard dress |
||||
|
diving helmets within her too. |
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| She's been salvaged amidships, reducing the height, but still stands | ||||
| some 7 metres off the seabed. She lies roughly East to West. | ||||
| MFV | ||||
|
Depth: |
27m |
Sunk: | ||
| Type: | Motor fishing vessel | Reason: | ||
| Tonnage: | Position: | |||
| Size: | Condition: | |||
| Iolanthe | ||||
|
Depth: |
44m |
Sunk: | 4th January 1918 | |
| Type: | Steamship | Reason: | German U-boat | |
| Tonnage: | 3081 tonnes | Position: | 50:27:63N 02:07:98W | |
| Size: | 98m x 15m | Condition: | Broken | |
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|
The Iolanthe was built in 1904. On Christmas day, 1917, she sailed |
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| from Glasgow, heading for St. Helens Roads, Isle of Wight. She had a | ||||
| crew 31 and was carrying a cargo of military vehicles and stores, cattle | ||||
| fodder, hay and Railway trucks. On the 4th January, 1918, she was hit | ||||
| by a torpedo fired by German submarine, UC75.. Luckily, no one was | ||||
| hurt. | ||||
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The Iolanthe tried to make it to Portland harbour but the ship was | |||
| getting too low in the water so the order to abandon ship was given. The | ||||
| crew boarded their lifeboats and made it to the Fort Albert, an | ||||
| approaching tanker. An attempt was made to tow the Iolanthe but she | ||||
| sank before anything could be done. | ||||
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| HMS Empress of India |  |
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|
Depth: |
47m |
Sunk: | November 1913 | |
| Type: | Battleship | Reason: | Practice target | |
| Tonnage: | 15,585 tonnes | Position: | 50 29N 02 57W | |
| Size: | 115m x 23m | Condition: | Mostly intact | |
| The Empress of India sank after being used as a torpedo target. She now lies upside down on sand. | ||||
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| M2 | ||||
|
Depth: |
34m |
Sunk: | 26th January 1932 | |
| Type: | Submarine | Reason: | Flooded | |
| Tonnage: | 1,650 tonnes | Position: | 50 34'N 02 33'W | |
| Size: | 89m x 8m | Condition: | Intact | |
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The M2 was one of three M class submarines. Originally built in 1918 |
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as a K-boat, she had a12 inch gun mounted just forward of the conning |
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tower . An arms limitation treaty, restricting non-capitol ships to carry |
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guns with a maximum of 8 inch calibre, prompted the M2 to swap the |
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gun for a small seaplane in 1925. |
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It was during sea trials that she sunk with no survivors. There are |
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| numerous accounts of what happened and how, but the general | ||||
| consensus is that she either dived with the hanger doors still open, or | ||||
| that the doors were opened too early | ||||
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An official War Grave, she sits intact and upright on a sandy seabed |
 |
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| and is probably the areas most popular off shore dive. | ||||
| Salsette | |
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|
Depth: |
47m |
Sunk: | July 1917 | |
| Type: | P&O liner | Reason: | Torpedoed | |
| Tonnage: | 5,842 tonnes | Position: | 50 29'N 02 43'W | |
| Size: | 133m x 13m | Condition: | Intact | |
 |
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| Torpedoed in the starboard side while en route from London to | ||||
| Bombay,the Salsette lies complete on her port side. She stands | ||||
| fifteen metres of the seabed. This is one of the most popular offshore | ||||
| dives in the area. | ||||
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